[Report] Retirement and post-retirement employment among older Canadians

This report was written by Sharanjit Uppal, Brittany Etmanski, Vincent Hardy and Sébastien LaRochelle-Côté

Using data from the Labour Force Survey, this study presents trends in the number of retirements and summarizes the reasons for retirement. Additionally, it uses data from the Survey of Financial Security to document changes in post-retirement employment and to examine selected sociodemographic characteristics associated with working after retirement.

• The number of retirements (12-month average) in Canada increased from 183,900 in August 2012 to 276,800 in August 2025.
• In 2025, the main reason people cited for the timing of retirement was financial considerations, followed by their or their spouse’s health or disability issues.
• In 2023, 1 in 10 Canadians aged 55 and older who had retired in the past (10%) were working. This proportion was up from 7% in 2019. Men (12%) were more likely than women (9%) to work after retirement. Other characteristics associated with working after retirement included a higher level of family debt, a higher level of educational attainment and younger age.
• People working after retirement were mostly working part time (73%). Moreover, a notable proportion were self-employed (33%).

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